The following concept is meant to give the party something to argue about in the context of a wide-open sandbox style campaign, or at least one with more than one possible adventure at any time. Note that it includes XP awards for more than just slaughter and coin, some of which I might have just made up on the spot. Please feel free to suggest more ideas in the comments.
FIGHTER
Double XP for single combat, including jousts, gladiatorials and other forms of combat-as-performance.
Double XP for defeating any monsters that are already the subject of Song or Tale.
Double XP for any treasure taken as spoils of war.
Half XP for books, lab paraphernalia and other items of scientific or educational nature.
MAGIC-USER
Double XP for books, lab paraphernalia and other items of scientific or educational nature.
Double XP for befriending or enslaving supernatural entities.
CLERIC
Double XP for destroying undead.
Double XP for directly opposing the foes of the faith.
Double XP for visiting Places of Beauty holy to the faith.
Half XP for treasure not immediately donated to the church.
No XP for looting tombs of believers.
THIEF
Double XP for all non-magical items featured in Song or Tale.
Double XP for all treasure recovered from use of a treasure map.
Half XP for monsters defeated, excepting backstab victims.
ELF
Double XP for visiting Places of Beauty.
Double XP for learning Songs and Tales.
Double XP for jewels and other items of aesthetic value.
Double XP for fighting drow.
Half XP for fighting fellow fairy creatures.
DWARF
Double XP for gold and gems recovered.
Double XP for dwarven items recovered.
Double XP for defeating monsters inhabiting ancient dwarvish strongholds.
Double XP for visiting underground Places of Beauty.
Double XP for defeating orcs, goblins and hobgoblins.
Half XP for pearls or silver recovered.
Half XP for any voyages across water.
Half XP for visiting surface Places of Beauty.
HALFLING
Double XP for an items of domestic utility (a golden bowl, a bejeweled chalice, etc.)
Half XP for loot that is neither cash nor a domestic item.
Double XP for attending a Heroic Feast.
Double XP for giving gifts.
A Return to the Stars
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After a veeeeerrrryyyy long, and mostly unplanned, hiatus, Stuart and I got
together to play more Stargrave in recent days. It was good! It was also a
bit ...
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Posts
The thief rule could be generalized to "Half XP for fair fights."
ReplyDeleteElves could get double XP for any unusual/unique magic item recovered.
ReplyDeleteGood design =]
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't think the New Feierland XP rules were already influential enough, I would probably do up a list of a few tiers of XP modifiers or something (in the same vain as yours), that players can pick from. Either in addition to or instead of the class based ones.
Thief:
ReplyDeleteDouble XP for all stolen (pickpocketed) treasure
Magic-User:
Double XP for learning occult secrets/ things which drive men mad
Half XP for engaging in melee
Nice ideas. I especially like those for dwarves, they seem to epitomize the 'dwarfness' :D.
ReplyDeleteI like it. To me, this is a far better "motivation system" than alignment, though conceivably, someone might attune XP rewards TO alignment.
ReplyDeleteFor example, Neutral characters get XP for gold (assuming that Neutrality is Conan-like selfishness rather than druid-like belief in a cosmic or natural balance). Chaotic characters get XP for killing creatures. Lawful characters get XP for achieving adventure goals.
DeleteI love this idea. Too many of my players play min/max "loot 'n' scoot" so this will (hopefully) give them pause.
ReplyDeleteOn G+ Zzarchov Kowlaski wrote:
ReplyDeleteI incentivize class behaviours in NGR, but I specifically avoided XP in favour of parallel perks after a few months because it kind of had the opposite effect.
When it was for XP it caused squabbling over plans, which was fun a few times, but it just kept going. I suspect this is because "get XP" is for many a subconscious _point_ of the game.
When I switched it out to a parallel bonus, ie, "something extra" then people instead focused on trying to make sure everyone got to do something.
In NGR's case that means warriors fight, thieves steal, wizards learn new spells, bards con people and priests perform holy duties.
So rather than arguing about "Should we slay the dragon?" "No lets loot the tower of Argox the mad!"
you instead get increasingly cocamamie schemes to try and do everything:
"Ok, so the thief sneaks in and steals some stuff from the dragon, and the bard convinces the dragon that Argox stole it. The dragon attacks and fights Argox while the wizard steals from his library. Then the warrior slays the victor who has been injured!" *
(Actual play event, did not per say go according to plan)
Halflings: 10XP for every mile travelled whilst roving about the countryside.
ReplyDeleteSome fighters might use the thief table instead - characters like Conan, or Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Although you could argue that they're 'really' thieves rather than fighters.
ReplyDeleteHalflings need a combat one, so...
ReplyDeleteDouble XP for killing and cooking a monster with nourishing and tasty innards.
Question - if Halflings get double XP for giving gifts, does my Fighter get XP for giving gifts?
ReplyDeleteA more gift-based economy is an ongoing obsession of mine, but I don't yet have any rules.
DeleteI really like the idea and how it suggests class-aporopriate play, but I wonder if it might be too much to track in practice.
ReplyDeleteIt might be if both class and race (and alignment) are factored in.
DeleteHow about having choices based on the player's focus. Did you want to play a dwarf who happens to be a fighter, or a fighter who happens to be a dwarf?
Or else, you might pick and choose from the relevant lists, say 3 Double XP, 1 Half XP and 1 No XP. Perhaps the latter two are chosen by the DM instead.
Oh man I was totally working on this very thing; the file is even called "Class-Based XP" (sans Shenanigans, regrettably). I got the idea from Some Other Blogger who didn't really flesh it out much. Then I got tired of it and left it alone to stew. Good work on it though, lots of very cool ideas that I would have missed.
ReplyDeleteI loved this, maybe I wont use it, but it's the kind of modification that could make bards, cartographers and other non-combat classes work... hmmm.
ReplyDelete